Behind the wheel in this trial of strength at the Port of Gothenburg will be Magnus Samuelsson, former winner of the World’s Strongest Man competition, accompanied by Transport Engineer journalist Brian Weatherley.
Volvo Trucks launched the new I-Shift with crawler gears on 15 March 2016, stating that its new crawler ratios make it possible to start and drive with a gcw up to 325 tonnes.
Just how much weight the transmission can really handle, however, is a matter of conjecture – and hence the forthcoming test.
“With this challenge, we want to demonstrate the new transmission’s immense capacity and show what the new crawler ratios can accomplish,” says Peter Hardin, product manager for the Volvo FM and FMX.
“Attempting to move off from standstill with such a heavy load is an immensely tough challenge for a regular series-produced truck with an automated transmission,” comments Weatherley.
“In my 30 years as a trucking journalist, I’ve never witnessed anything like it.”
Volvo says it will reveal what happened on 12 April on Volvo Trucks’ YouTube channel, but here is the ‘teaser’ video: